Stoke City boss Mark Hughes admits he was 'surprised' that Liverpool were willing to sell Wales star Joe Allen in the summer.

Allen, 26, struggled for a regular starting place at Anfield after joining the club from Swansea City in 2012 but was in hot demand after starring for Wales in their historic run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

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"There was a worry that his performances in the Europeans might make Liverpool think again, but they had other irons in the fire and they wanted to get others players in and went into the market and got (Georginio) Wijnaldum.

"So they were clearly happy to do that deal and we were happy to have Joe.

Wales' Joe Allen scores the first goal against Austria (Image: David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

"You look at his performances since he's come here, they've been absolutely outstanding. His goalscoring has been added to his game, which was strong already. We're very happy with the deal that was brokered."

Allen has enjoyed a fine debut campaign at Stoke so far having scored five times for the club, including a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Jose Mourinho's Manchester United at Old Trafford in October.

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Allen has also netted his first and second goals for Wales since moving to the bet365 Stadium and is set to return to Anfield on December 27 for the first time since leaving the club in the summer.

And Hughes believes the Wales man is arguably Stoke's most valuable player.

"It's just a case of getting him closer to our strikers and anticipating balls as they come into the box," added the Potters' manager.

Joe Allen during his time with Liverpool (Image: PA Wire)

"I think he enjoys it, that's a key element of the reason why he's doing well. He wants to make an impression, he's at a new club with new team mates and he wants that impression to continue.

"As soon as he walked through the door we knew almost immediately that we had an outstanding player but the fact he's added goals as well makes him arguably one of the most valuable players in our team."